Non-refrigerated yeast starter

[dierythmus]

I made a yeast starter on Wednesday, and I will be brewing tomorrow morning. I've been shaking it various times throughout the days (I don't have a stir plate yet). I have not refrigerated it, however.

Will it still be usable after 72 hours in room temp (WLP001)?

 

[Upthewazzu]

Heh, I was coming here to post the exact same question. Definitely interested in hearing what folks have to say.

 

[morticaixavier]

A couple hours in the fridge should drop the yeast so you can decant the supernascent but it will be fine either way.

 

[JF_HBrews]

It will be usable as is but I would step it up again tonight for tomorrow's brew. If you don't have room in your starter container pour about 1/2 off (save for another starter) and add the new/additional starter wort.

 

[trentm]

It will be usable as is but I would step it up again tonight for tomorrow's brew. If you don't have room in your starter container pour about 1/2 off (save for another starter) and add the new/additional starter wort.

This is good advice. After fermentation is complete, yeast go into survival mode and begin using its stored carbohydrates (glycogen and trehalose). Yeast need a good store of these carbohydrates during the lag phase of fermentation. The higher the storage temperature the more the yeast metabolise and more carbohydrates are used up. Yeast can be stored at 4 C for up to a week and still maintain a good store of carbohydrates. But only ~36 hours at 15 C. Stepping it up again will restore the carbohydrate reserves.

 

[dierythmus]

What does "stepping up" mean?

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

add more starter wort ie: fermentables

 

[mkyl428]

If you are brewing tomorrow morning & it were me I would put it in the fridge now & leave it till tomorrow to drop all of the yeast out of suspension.

Tomorrow pull it out of the fridge about an hour before you plan to pitch it decant the liquid off the top & leave the slurry in your flask (or whatever you are fementing your starter in) cover it with foil & let it warm up until you are ready to pitch.

 

[chisena]

+1 on refrigerate. I'd put it in the fridge tonight and pull it out when you start brewing so it can warm up to pitching temp. Pour off some of the wort above the yeast cake before pitching if there's a lot of wort to pour off. If there's just a little I don't bother pouring it off. There's still plenty of yeast hiding in that wort anyways. Enjoy!

 

[MindenMan]

I don't have a stir plate, so all of my starters take days to build up on the counter. A day or so before pitching, sometimes the night before, I will add a small amount of 1.060 or so wort, and the starter is usually blazing by the time I pitch it. I generally get bubbles forming within 3 or 4 hours.

 

[kombat]

I don't have a stir plate, so all of my starters take days to build up on the counter. A day or so before pitching, sometimes the night before, I will add a small amount of 1.060 or so wort, and the starter is usually blazing by the time I pitch it. I generally get bubbles forming within 3 or 4 hours.

Keep in mind that the purpose of a starter is not to get fermentation off to a rocket start. The purpose of a starter is simply to build up the yeast cell count to the appropriate level. A super-fast start to fermentation is not necessarily a good thing. You need to allow the yeast to have an appropriate amount of time to go through all of the stages of fermentation. A lot of critical flavour compounds are created during the lag and reproductive phases, and if you minimize that, you're not necessarily making "better" beer.

 

[MindenMan]

I appreciate your input, thank you. I didn't really convey what I meant correctly... I usually cool my wort as is reachable w/o ice; generally to 65* F or so. I pitch my yeast, and when krausen starts to form, I cool my fermenter to the bottom range of the particular yeast I am using, and wait until fermentation is within a 0.010 of my F.G. At that point, I slowly raise the temp to 70*F or so for a few days, and then cold crash before bottling. I have clean, crisp, beers this way, and since I am generally in no hurry to get a batch bottled, if my schedule changes, I know my beer will be safe until I can get to bottling.

 

[schokie]

Starting your yeast off warm and then lowering the temp runs the risk of a stalled or incomplete fermentation. Obviously it's not a guaranteed thing from your good results, just realize the best practice is to pitch slightly cooler than the desired temp, then ramp up the temp towards to end of fermentation to ensure it's complete.

I'd hesitate to say the OP needs to step up his starter without knowing the size of his original starter or the OG of the beer. I second the advice to place the current starter in the fridge overnight, then decant and pitch straight into the wort once it's cooled to pitching temps.

 

[DurtyChemist]

I always make my starters at room temperature and shake the bottle to keep it suspended. Stir plates are left out of the fridge. If you want to chill it in the fridge for 24 hours before pitching you can decant the super start but it isn't necessary.

 

[Upthewazzu]

Checked my starter over lunch, and it appears to be still going. A small krausen and bubbles coming up from the bottom. Since I made it on Wednesday evening, should I assume it's done and refrigerate it or let it ride on the counter?

 

[Stealthcruiser]

So, when you say "step it up", as in add more fermentables..........What if: you had a large batch of yeast, still quite viable, from a frien @ a local brewery.
In line with the viability, wouldn't the wort you are about to add it to, be "more fermentables"?
I ask,'cause I just did this this past weekend, with proper pitching temps and conditions met, and WHAMMO!

all looked good, and blow off tube definitely came in handy!

Was this a bad procedure?

 

[schokie]

So, when you say "step it up", as in add more fermentables..........What if: you had a large batch of yeast, still quite viable, from a frien @ a local brewery.
In line with the viability, wouldn't the wort you are about to add it to, be "more fermentables"?
I ask,'cause I just did this this past weekend, with proper pitching temps and conditions met, and WHAMMO!

all looked good, and blow off tube definitely came in handy!

Was this a bad procedure?

Sounds like it worked just fine for you. If you already have the appropriate amount of yeast there's no need to step anything up. I rarely do more than one level of starter unless I'm brewing a high gravity beer, like 1.080 or higher. That assumes my yeast was mostly viable from the beginning.